III.

“Yes,” said the colonel; “and the
queerest thing is, they left ev’rything behind—­every
darned thing! I never did see such a stampede
afore—­I didn’t! Nobody’s
got any idee of whar they be, nor what it’s
’bout neither.”

“Don’t be too sartain, colonel!”
piped Weasel, a self-contained mite of a fellow, who
was still at work upon his glass, filled at the last
general treat, although every one else had finished
so long ago that they were growing thirsty again—­“don’t
be too sartain. Them detectives bunked
at my shanty last night.”

“The deuce they did!” cried the colonel.
“Good the rest of us didn’t know it.”

“Well,” said Weasel, moving his glass
in graceful circles, to be sure that all the sugar
dissolved, “I dunno. It’s a respectable
business, an’ I wanted to have a good look at
’em.”

“What’s that got to do with Jim and Tarpaulin?”
demanded the colonel, fiercely.

“Wait, and I’ll tell you,” replied
Weasel, provokingly, taking a leisurely sip at his
glass. “Jim come down to see ’em—­”

“What?” cried the colonel.

“An’ told ’em he knew their man,
an’ would help find him,” continued Weasel.
“They offered him the thousand dollars—­”

“Oh, Lord! oh, Lord!” groaned the colonel;
“who’s a feller to trust in this world!
The idee of Jim goin’ back on a pardner fur a
thousand! I wouldn’t hev b’lieved
he’d a-done it fur a million!”

“An’ he told ’em he’d cram
it down their throats if they mentioned it again.”

The colonel looked thoughtfully into his glass, and
remarked, as if to his own reflection therein, “Ain’t
many such men here nur nowhars else!” after
which he drank the toast himself.

“But that don’t explain what Tarpaulin
went fur,” said the colonel, suddenly.

“Yes, it does,” said the exasperating
Weasel, shutting his thin lips so tightly that it
was hard to see where his mouth was.

“What?” cried the colonel. “’Twould
take a four-horse corkscrew to get anything out o’
you, you dried-up little scoundrel!”

“Why!” replied Weasel, greatly pleased
by the colonel’s compliment, “after what
you said about hair and beard hidin’ a man, one
of them fellers cut a card an’ held it over
the picture, so as to hide hair an’ chin.
The forehead an’ face an’ nose an’
ears wuz Tarpaulin’s, an’ nobody else’s.”